Written questions by Cadbury.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to encourage internet network providers to increase the coverage of full fibre broadband in (a) residential flats and (b) commercial properties.

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement on 21 July we will consult on policy measures later in the autumn to create a new right for leaseholders to request a gigabit broadband connection and a duty for freeholders to not unreasonably refuse the request. We are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on the policy proposals and we will seek to legislate for these measures when parliamentary time allows.Additionally, ‘commercial properties’ are included in Project Gigabit, the government’s programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans. More than £2.4 billion of Project Gigabit contracts have already been signed to connect over one million more premises with gigabit-capable broadband.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support the deployment of dark fibre for data-intensive businesses in (a) England, (b) London and (c) west London.

As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on dark fibre in the leased lines market. DSIT regularly engages with Ofcom and industry stakeholders on these and related issues.DSIT provides steers to Ofcom through our Statement of Strategic Priorities (SSP) for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services. Ofcom must have regard to this when making regulatory decisions, including in the context of the Telecoms Access Review.In July, DSIT published a consultation on a draft updated SSP that sets out the Government’s view on business connectivity, setting it as a priority for the regulator. Officials are currently reviewing responses to the consultation and DSIT will publish its response in due course.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to increase the reliability of infrastructure for 5G connectivity in London.

The government wants all areas of the UK, including London, to benefit from reliable and high-quality mobile coverage, and this is reflected in our ambition for all populated areas to have higher quality standalone 5G by 2030.The department continues to work closely with the mobile network operators to deliver on this ambition, including removing barriers to deployment where they exist. This includes launching a call for evidence as soon as possible to assess the merits of planning reform to support the deployment of mobile infrastructure.Through the Electronic Response and Resilience Group, DSIT works in partnership with communications providers to promote resilience across the sector.The Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 amended the Communications Act 2003 to place new security duties on telecoms providers to identify, reduce, and prepare for the risks of security compromises in public telecoms networks or services and to remedy or mitigate their adverse effects. These obligations are overseen by Ofcom, who have powers to enforce compliance. Ofcom publish information on security and resilience of networks in their annual Connected Nations UK Report.In December 2023, Ofcom launched a public Call for Input on the power back-up at mobile network access sites across the UK. They published an update on their work in February this year, confirming they are completing further analysis to determine the appropriate and proportionate measures that mobile operators should put in place.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of internet connectivity in the Borough of Hounslow.

We understand the Borough of Hounslow to have good internet connectivity.According to the independent website Thinkbroadband.com, over 98% of premises in the Borough of Hounslow can access superfast broadband speeds (30 Mbps), which is in line with the UK average. Over 93% have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection (>1000 Mbps), which is above the national average of 88%.For users accessing the internet on a mobile device, Ofcom reports that 4G is available across almost 100% of the Borough of Hounslow from all four mobile operators, while 5G (standalone and non-standalone) is available outside 97% of premises across the Borough from all four operators.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking with private companies to increase the coverage of full fibre broadband in the London Borough of Hounslow.

We have created a competition-friendly environment in areas, such as the London Borough of Hounslow, where deployment is commercially viable. We continue to engage the commercial market to ensure that the regulatory landscape best supports continued delivery of fibre broadband, including working to removing the barriers to deployment. For example, we will consult and then seek to legislate as soon as possible to address the challenges faced in securing connections in blocks of flats.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of introducing an opt-out for AI firms using copyright works on (a) visual artists and (b) other creators.

The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.This consultation seeks views on a number of issues relating to copyright and AI, including on how to give rights holders of creative works greater control over use of their material.The Government has published an assessment of options alongside the consultation. Further information and evidence on the impact of a rights-reservation (or “opt-out”), including the impact on visual artists and other creators is welcomed as part of the consultation, to help shape Government’s thinking.The consultation closes on 25 February.

Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of copyright law for ensuring visual artists are remunerated for the use of their work in training AI models.

At present, copyright law regarding AI training is disputed. This makes it difficult for creators, such as visual artists, to control whether their works can be used to train AI models, and to seek payment for this.The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.This consultation seeks views on how to create clarity in this area. This includes seeking views on proposals which would enable right holders to reserve their rights, so they can prevent, or license, the use of their content to train AI models in the UK.The consultation closes on 25 February.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help protect (a) visual artists and (b) other creators from copyright infringement by AI developers.

Copying protected material in the UK will infringe copyright unless it is licensed, or an exception to copyright applies.The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.This consultation seeks views on a package of measures, which include a requirement for AI model developers to be more transparent about how they obtain their training material, to enable copyright to be more easily enforced.The proposals would also enable right holders to reserve their rights, so they can prevent the use of their content to train AI models in the UK.The consultation closes on 25 February.

Innovation and Technology, whether he is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to assess the potential implications for the Government's policies of the unlawful use of copyrighted (a) images, (b) books, (c) films and (d) music by AI firms.

In the UK, licences are required from copyright owners when protected works (such as images, books, films, music) are used in AI training, unless an exception to copyright applies.The law in this area is complex and disputed.The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport jointly published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024, seeking views which will help the Government develop an approach which can provide greater legal certainty in this space.The consultation closes on 25 February.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the potential impact of the use of AI models on (a) visual artists and (b) the wider creative sector.

The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.It sets out potential legislative changes to copyright law to support the development and use of AI technology, while continuing to reward human creators. It also seeks views on digital replicas and other related emerging issues.The Government has published an assessment of options alongside the consultation. Further information and evidence on the economic impact of the use of AI models on visual artists and the wider creative sector is welcomed as part of the consultation, to help shape Government’s thinking.The consultation closes on 25 February.

Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking against individual service users whose online deceptions cause (a) non-trivial emotional and psychological damage, and (b) fall within the scope of coercive control.

Individuals can be prosecuted if they commit offences online or offline. The Online Safety Act forces online platforms and search services to reduce the risk of illegal content being encountered on their services. Platforms must focus on ‘priority offences’, including content which amounts to controlling and coercive behaviour and must reduce the risk of priority offences being committed on their service. We know such offences disproportionately impact women and girls. This government has set an unprecedented mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. We will explore further measures as needed.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Online Safety Act 2023 in tackling instances of (a) online deception and (b) coercive and controlling behaviour by impersonations on (i) social media and (ii) dating apps.

The Online Safety Act requires all in-scope services to protect users from online illegal content and criminal behaviour on their services. Coercive and controlling behaviour is a priority offence under the Act. Adult users of services over the designated threshold will also have the ability to verify their own identity, reduce the likelihood of seeing non-verified users’ content, and prevent non-verified users from interacting with their content. The government and Ofcom’s priority is getting these protections implemented effectively.